Partial support is requested for a conference on the Mechanisms of Sensory Regeneration, to be held at the University of Virginia in May 1994. The symposium will be the second major conference on the topic of sensory regeneration held in the U.S. It will provide a forum for researchers to present findings pertaining to basic mechanisms that regulate cell proliferation, cell differentiation, neurotrophic support, neurite regeneration, regenerative repair in vertebrate limbs and peripheral nerves, and the regeneration of sensory cells and neurites in the auditory, vestibular, lateral line, olfactory, gustatory organs, and the retina. The principal focus will be on the regeneration of hair cells and their innervation. The first specific aim of the conference is to facilitate the transfer o information on the latest findings from cell biologists, biochemists, and molecular biologists, who are investigating the mechanisms that control cell growth and differentiation, to researchers in sensory biology who are addressing the application of those findings in efforts to develop regenerative therapies for sensory deficits that affect millions of Americans. The second aim is to inform scientists and their trainees who work at the cutting edge of research in the fields of cell and molecular biology about opportunities for research that may have practical applications for the treatment of sensory disorders. The third aim is to foster collaborations between those scientists and scientists in the various subdisciplines and laboratories that address sensory regeneration. The fourth aim is to provide the members of a wider audience with an up-to-date review of recent developments in research on sensory regeneration, with an assessment of the important issues that remain to be addressed, and with access to potential collaborators and consultants; so that they may more readily begin productive research on sensory regeneration. Contributed poster presentations will be solicited and abstracts will be reviewed for selection. The presentations and discussions will be videotaped and the proceedings will be published so that ideas and controversies emerging from the meeting will be widely disseminated in a timely manner. The topics addressed are important for a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of regeneration and self- repair in sensory organs and neurons, which could potentially lead to the development of treatments to reverse effects of damage and disease in the sensory organs of millions of people.